


Pet-cetera

by mthrfkrgdhrwego (universalchampbalor)



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fashion & Models, Alternate Universe - Pet Store, Animals, Injury, M/M, Nonbinary Character, Nonbinary Magnus, Trans Jace Wayland, Trans Male Character, i blame sare for me being jagnus trash recently, jace owns a pet store and magnus is a fashion designer
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-08
Updated: 2017-03-07
Packaged: 2018-09-30 20:23:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10171130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/universalchampbalor/pseuds/mthrfkrgdhrwego
Summary: Jace didn't know his name- he'd been referring to him as 'Mr. Sunshine' internally. He came in every day at around 11 and pet /every single animal/ in the shop. He would pet the cats, dogs, bunnies, hamsters, chinchillas, and even the snakes and lizards if they'd let him, as well as the birds. The animals seemed to love him. In all honesty, Jace kind of did too.





	

Working at a pet store is surprisingly boring.

Most of the work is dealing with customers who honestly had no business owning a pet, dealing with the animals, and sitting behind the desk waiting for something to happen.

Jace had been working at the shop for years.

He, Izzy. and Alec started 'Pet-cetera' when Jace was in his freshman year of college. Alec had gone off to do archery full time, and Izzy began her schooling and internships for her forensic pathology degree. It was just Jace now, though he occasionally got help from Clary or Simon if he needed it.

Most of he customers were scattered, usually one offs or only coming in every few months to stock up on supplies. There was one, though.

Jace didn't know his name- he'd been referring to him as 'Mr. Sunshine' internally. He came in every day at around 11 and pet /every single animal/ in the shop. He would pet the cats, dogs, bunnies, hamsters, chinchillas, and even the snakes and lizards if they'd let him, as well as the birds. The animals seemed to love him. In all honesty, Jace kind of did too.

Like clockwork, Mr. Sunshine showed up as soon as Jace tossed his feet onto the counter and pulled out his phone.

"Hey. Need any help?" He asked, though it was futile. The man always politely refused help- after all, he never /bought/ anything. He just spent his time with the animals.

"No thank you, I'm good!" He chirped, bouncing over to the rabbit pen.

He was dressed like he usually was- loose silk shirt, leather pants, platforms, loud makeup, and tip dyed hair. Today, his shirt was blue, his pants were red, and his hair was streaked with pink. As per usual, he was wearing about four necklaces, several bracelets, at least six rings, and three separate earrings and earcuffs.

He carefully picked up the small red satin rabbit that had rushed to the edge of the pen, laughing as the rabbit practically tried to climb his chest. He scratched behind his ears, cradling the bunny with incomparable care. "Hey, cutie. How has no one adopted you yet? If you're not gone by next week, I might just have to get you myself." He chuckled and sat him down. He then did this for /every single rabbit in the pen/.

He moved on to the small chinchilla enclosure, letting the animal sniff his hand before trying to pet her. He didn't try to pick her up out of her cage, knowing full well that she was a skittish little thing.

The man was halfway through his rounds when Jace's yelp brought him out of what was practically a daze.

"Are you okay?" Mr. Sunshine asked, walking over to Jace slowly.

The blonde nodded, examining his hand carefully. A thick, long boa constrictor was draped over his shoulders, writhing every so often , trying to slither up the sleeve of his hoodie.

A large bite mark, bleeding slightly, was resting on the flat of his hand, the skin angry and red.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Little stinker just bit me. Can you get her back into her tank? It's the open one right over there." Jace said, gesturing to the boa's tank. "Be careful, she's feeling feisty." He warned as the man moved to grab the snake. He nodded and gently lifted the snake. It wasn't particularly light, measuring 7 feet long and probably 50 pounds.

As soon as Mr. Sunshine returned the snake to her rightful home, he was back at Jace, who was digging through a drawer looking for a first aid kit. He finally found it and placed it on the counter.

"Can you help me look for any teeth still in the wound? I don't have my glasses today." Jace asked quietly, dumping his weight in his chair.

The man nodded, moving behind the counter gracefully. He made sure the tweezers in the kit were clean before grabbing Jace's hand, bringing it to his face as he examined the wound closely. He pulled out a few teeth, causing Jace to clench his jaw and hiss.

Afterwards, the man cleaned the wound and bandaged him up.

"Are you sure you're okay? I don't know a lot about snake bites. Do you need to go to the hospital?" He asked, his brow furrowed in concern.

"I should be good. I'm Jace, by the way. Thanks for helping me." Jace said sheepishly, looking at the ground. He hid behind the curtain of his hair, fighting the blush settled over his cheeks. His skin was still burning from where the man's fingers had grazed his pulse point.

"It's no problem. I'm Magnus." He said, offering his hand. Jace shook it with his free hand, almost losing himself in the man- /Magnus'/- dimples.

"I have to get back to work- I'm on my lunch break- but I'll be back tomorrow. See you then?" He said, his voice lilting at the end. Jace grinned.

"I'll be here." He answered, his crooked smile growing as large as his cheeks would allow. Magnus grinned back before leaving the store. It took Jace a moment to notice his number left on the counter.

Working in a pet shop can be pretty fucking great, Jace thought.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm in-malace-we-trust on Tumblr! Come bug me!


End file.
